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Jeopardy Crew Member Chases a Promise in Kona

Kelly Miyahara's sights are set on Ali'i Drive and on the memory of a dear friend.

by Mary Baum

When Jeopardy "clue crew" member Kelly Miyahara joined Team in Training, she not only discovered triathlon, but made a new group of lifelong friends. The 34-year-old instantly connected with one woman in particular, Marisela Echeverria. One day, while watching the GoPro IRONMAN World Championship on TV, the two made a promise to each other: If they ever got the chance to go, they would race on the Big Island together.

The morning of their first IRONMAN together (IRONMAN Canada) Miyahara woke up to learn that her friend had flown back home to be with her family—Echeverria’s father had passed away the previous night. Echeverria later secured a spot at IRONMAN Arizona, delighted that she wouldn’t have to see all her training go to waste. But one day, while out on a training ride for her new goal race, tragedy struck again. Echeverria was hit and killed by a bus on the California coastline. She would never cross an IRONMAN finish line after all.

Miyahara’s determination to make it to Kona and run it with her friend, this time in spirit, began to mount. As the race in Kona approaches—the one year anniversary of her friend’s death—there is no other place the Kona Inspired winner wants to be. "I couldn’t think of a more special way to honor my friend, to share her story and keep her memory alive," she says. "I know she will be with me every stroke, pedal and step of the 140.6 miles that day."

Since Team in Training is what brought her to triathlon and introduced her to her friend, Miyahara, 34, has decided to fundraise for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society as well. She says the organizations have forever changed her, bringing her lifelong friendships, and challenging her to strive for goals she never dreamed of. She has already raised more than $30,000 for the charity. Miyahara says the opportunity to raise money for a cause "in memory of a beautiful soul" is her way of giving back.

What would Miyahara tell her friend if she had the chance, one last time? "Thank you for changing my life forever," she says. And one more thing, too: "Don’t forgot, I may need to borrow your angel wings on race day, OK?"